How payments work in StorageFlo.io

This article is the master reference for payments in StorageFlo. Whether you are setting up your gateway for the first time, thinking about switching processors, or trying to understand how refunds work, this is the place to start. For a lighter overview, the Getting started guide has a quick summary.

The three ways to take payments

StorageFlo supports online payment through supported gateways and a pay-on-site path for operators who are not ready to collect online payment during booking. You pick the mode that fits the account and can revisit it later.

Stripe is the default choice for many operators. It has broad country coverage, strong accounting integrations, and excellent developer documentation if you ever want to dig into the details.

Square is a strong option for smaller US-based operations that already have Square hardware at the front desk. Fees are a little lower, and if you are already living in the Square ecosystem it is the path of least friction.

Pay on site means no online payments at all. StorageFlo still handles the booking and sends the tenant a confirmation. The renter pays in person on move-in day, by cash, check, or whatever your office accepts. This is the simplest option to set up because there is nothing to configure.

Which one is right for you comes down to three things. First, where your customers live. If you have any international renters or plan to expand beyond the US, Stripe is the clear choice. Second, whether you want to collect payment at the time of booking or at the office on move-in day. Third, which processor your accountant or bookkeeper already uses. If your books are already reconciled inside Square or you have a Stripe account for another business, staying in that ecosystem saves you a step at tax time.

When to choose Stripe

Stripe is the right call for most operators, especially if you are just starting out and not sure which direction your business will grow.

A few reasons Stripe works well in self-storage:

• Broad reach. Stripe supports many countries and currencies. If you expect renters outside the US, compare Stripe's current country coverage before choosing a gateway.
• Deep integrations. Stripe connects directly to QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, and most other accounting platforms. Revenue flowing into Stripe shows up in your books without manual reconciliation.
• Stripe Terminal. If you want tap-to-pay at the front desk, Stripe sells card readers that sync with your Stripe account. In-person and online transactions live in the same dashboard.
• Payout reliability. Standard payouts arrive in 2 to 3 business days after a transaction settles. That schedule tightens as Stripe builds a history with your account.

Processor fees change over time and may vary by country, transaction type, and account history. Check stripe.com/pricing for the current numbers before you decide.

If you have international renters, want robust accounting integrations, or simply want the most widely supported option, Stripe is the right default.

When to choose Square

Square is a great fit if you are running a smaller US operation and the Square ecosystem is already part of your day-to-day.

Here is where Square shines:

• Familiar fee model. Square can be attractive when your team already understands its pricing and reporting.
• Payout workflow your team may already know. If cash flow timing matters, compare Square's current payout options with Stripe's current payout options before choosing.
• Hardware you probably already own. If you have a Square Reader or Square Terminal at the front desk, in-person and online transactions live in the same Square dashboard without any extra setup.
• Square POS integration. Operators who run their office on Square's point-of-sale system will find everything in one place.

The important limitation to know: Square is US-only at the time of writing. If you have renters outside the United States or are planning international expansion, Square will not be able to process those transactions. Stripe is the better choice in that case.

If your business is US-based, you already use Square hardware, and you want the lower fee rate, Square is a solid option that will feel familiar from day one.

When to use pay-on-site

Pay-on-site is not a lesser option. It is the right choice for a real set of operators and situations.

Use pay-on-site when:

• You do not want to deal with a payment processor. No gateway setup, no merchant account, no PCI compliance forms. You collect payment directly at the office the way you always have.
• Your market prefers cash. Some communities have a significant share of renters who do not use credit cards or prefer to pay in person. Pay-on-site keeps the door open for those customers.
• You want to start fast. There is zero configuration required. If you want to launch your booking widget today and sort out online payments later, pay-on-site lets you do exactly that. You can add a gateway at any time from Payments.
• You are running a small facility with limited volume. The overhead of managing a merchant account may not be worth it for a handful of transactions per month.

One honest tradeoff: some renters will not follow through on a booking that does not collect payment upfront. Online payment at the time of reservation tends to improve conversion. If you notice a high no-show rate on pay-on-site, that is the most likely cause.

StorageFlo sends a booking confirmation regardless of payment mode. The confirmation includes any in-person payment instructions you have configured, such as office hours and accepted payment methods.

Connecting Stripe

The connection is usually straightforward, but the exact time depends on your Stripe account, verification status, and the documents Stripe requests. Have your government-issued ID and either a utility bill or business license nearby before you start.

1. Open Payments

   From your StorageFlo dashboard, open Payments. You will see the payment gateway panel with options for Stripe, Square, and pay-on-site.

2. Click Connect Stripe

   Click the Connect Stripe button. StorageFlo opens a Stripe-hosted onboarding flow in the same window.

3. Complete Stripe Checkout

   Stripe will walk you through a series of steps: your business type and legal details, your bank account for payouts, and identity verification. Verification typically requires a government-issued photo ID and one supporting document such as a utility bill or business license. Follow each step and click through until Stripe tells you the application is complete. If Stripe asks for additional documents, you can upload them directly in the Stripe dashboard later.

4. Return to your account

   Once you finish the Stripe flow, Stripe redirects you back to StorageFlo automatically. The Payments dashboard now shows Stripe with a Connected badge. You are ready to accept card payments.

Payouts begin once Stripe finishes verifying your account. For most operators that takes 1 to 2 business days. During that window, Stripe accepts transactions and holds the funds. Nothing is lost. Once verification completes, payouts start on Stripe's standard schedule.

To update your bank account, payout schedule, or business details, go directly to your Stripe Dashboard. Changes there are reflected in StorageFlo automatically.

Connecting Square

Square uses an OAuth flow, which means you authorize StorageFlo to connect to your existing Square account rather than entering credentials. The process is fast and does not require any document uploads.

Before you start: you need an existing Square seller account. If you do not have one, create it at squareup.com first. Account creation is separate from StorageFlo and follows Square's own onboarding process.

1. Open Payments

   From your StorageFlo dashboard, open Payments. Same starting point as Stripe.

2. Click Connect Square

   Click the Connect Square button. A Square OAuth popup appears.

3. Log in to Square in the popup

   In the popup, log in with your Square account email and password. If you are already logged in to Square in your browser, Square may skip this step automatically.

4. Grant permissions

   Square asks you to authorize StorageFlo to read your locations and process payments on your behalf. Review the permissions and click Allow. You can revoke this authorization at any time from your Square account settings.

5. Popup closes

   The popup closes and the StorageFlo Payments dashboard updates automatically. The connection status flips to Connected. You are ready to accept payments through Square.

If the popup is blocked, allow popups for storageflo.io and try again. Most browsers show a popup-blocked indicator in the address bar.

Switching between gateways

Every payment gateway connection in StorageFlo follows the same lifecycle: Not connected, then Connecting, then Connected. There is also an Error branch for cases where credentials expire or the OAuth token is revoked.

Understanding the lifecycle helps if you ever need to switch from one gateway to another, or if you run into a connection problem.

Switching gateways. You can only have one active gateway per account at a time. If you want to switch from Stripe to Square (or vice versa), disconnect the current gateway first from Payments, then follow the connection steps for the new gateway.

What happens to existing transactions. Disconnecting a gateway does not affect transactions that have already settled through it. Those payouts continue on the original processor's schedule, completely independently of what you do in StorageFlo. Stripe keeps paying out your Stripe settlements, and Square keeps paying out your Square settlements, until every pending transaction clears. You are not cutting off the money already in flight.

The Error state. If Stripe needs additional verification, your Square OAuth token expires, or your bank account becomes invalid, the gateway status flips to Error. StorageFlo sends you an email when this happens. To recover, open Payments and follow the reconnect prompt. Stripe errors typically require a verification step in your Stripe dashboard. Square errors require re-authorizing through the OAuth popup.

Switching back to pay-on-site. Disconnect any gateway and switch to pay-on-site at any time. New bookings will stop collecting online payment. Existing settled transactions are unaffected.

What customers see at checkout

The checkout experience your renters see depends on which gateway you have connected. In all cases, the checkout is embedded in or launched from the booking widget on your website.

With Stripe. Stripe renders a secure iframe directly inside the booking widget. The renter types their card number, expiration date, and CVC without ever leaving your site. Apple Pay and Google Pay appear automatically if the renter's browser and device support them. No account creation is required. The experience is clean and fast on both desktop and mobile.

With Square. Square opens a secure payment popup when the renter reaches the payment step. The popup handles card entry and digital wallet support. No account creation is required. The popup closes automatically after the payment is processed and the widget returns the renter to the confirmation screen.

With pay-on-site. There is no payment step at checkout. The widget completes the booking and shows the renter a confirmation message that includes your office details and any payment instructions you have configured.

Card handling is owned by the connected processor. StorageFlo is designed so raw card numbers, expiration dates, and CVC values are handled by Stripe or Square rather than stored in StorageFlo. We receive processor references and payment metadata needed to associate the booking with the payment.

Refunds and chargebacks

Refunds. Issue refunds from your Stripe Dashboard or Square Dashboard, not from StorageFlo. Once you process a refund in the payment processor's dashboard, StorageFlo picks up the status change automatically and updates the booking record to reflect the refunded amount. You do not need to make any manual changes in StorageFlo after issuing the refund.

Partial refunds work the same way. Issue them in Stripe or Square and StorageFlo picks up the change automatically.

Chargebacks. When a renter disputes a charge with their card issuer, the processor notifies you directly by email and in your processor dashboard. Respond through Stripe's or Square's dispute resolution interface by the deadline shown. The kinds of evidence that work best in storage disputes: a signed lease or rental agreement, the booking confirmation with the renter's contact details, photos of the unit at move-in showing its condition, and any written communication you had with the renter about the charge.

StorageFlo can help with evidence. Go to Bookings, find the relevant booking, and use Export booking history. This generates a timestamped record of all booking events you can attach to your dispute response.

For legal details, see our Terms of Service and Data Processing Addendum.

Common questions

Can I have both Stripe and Square at the same time?

No. StorageFlo supports one active payment gateway per account. You can switch between them at any time, but only one can be active. If you switch mid-month, transactions that were already in flight on the old gateway settle through that processor on its normal schedule. New transactions go through the newly connected gateway.

Do I need to verify my Stripe account before I can take payments?

Yes. Stripe requires identity verification and bank account verification before it releases payouts to you. You can still collect payments during the verification window. Stripe holds those funds and releases them once verification completes, which usually takes 1 to 2 business days. If Stripe needs additional documents, it sends you an email and flags the account in your Stripe Dashboard.

What happens if my gateway goes down?

If Stripe or Square is experiencing an outage, the payment step in the booking widget will fail for the duration of the outage. Renters attempting to book online will not be able to complete payment until the processor comes back up.

If you have configured pay-on-site messaging, renters can still complete the booking without paying online and settle the balance in person at move-in. This is a good reason to make sure your pay-on-site instructions (office hours, accepted payment methods) are filled in under Payments, even if your primary mode is a gateway.

How long until I receive payouts?

Payout timing depends on your processor, country, account status, risk review, and payout settings. Review the current Stripe or Square payout schedule in your processor dashboard rather than relying on a fixed window in StorageFlo.

Are there per-transaction fees from StorageFlo?

No. StorageFlo does not charge per-transaction fees. You keep 100% of what your gateway settles to your bank, minus the gateway's own processing fee. The only thing you pay StorageFlo is your subscription, which is a separate line item and not tied to transaction volume. See the pricing page for subscription details.

Where is cardholder data stored?

Not in StorageFlo. When a renter enters card details at checkout, that data is handled by the connected processor's card-entry flow. StorageFlo does not intentionally receive or store raw card numbers, expiration dates, or CVC values. What we receive is processor metadata and reference IDs that let us associate a booking with a payment.

For details on how we handle data, see our Privacy Policy and Data Processing Addendum. Questions? Reach out to [email protected].

Once your payment gateway is connected, the next step is getting the booking widget live on your site so renters can actually reach checkout. Head to Embed the booking widget to continue.